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On December 31, Finnish authorities detained a vessel traveling from Russia on suspicion of damaging an undersea telecommunications cable connecting Helsinki and Estonia across the Gulf of Finland, Reuters reported.
The detained cargo ship, Fitburg, flying the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was en route from the Russian port of Saint Petersburg to Israel, according to the Finnish Border Guard.
“Currently, we suspect serious disruption of telecommunications, as well as aggravated sabotage and attempted aggravated sabotage,” Helsinki police chief Jari Liukku told journalists.
Fourteen crew members of Fitburg—citizens of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan—have been taken into custody.
Authorities reported that the vessel dragged its anchor along the seabed before being directed into Finnish territorial waters. The damaged cable belongs to Finnish telecommunications group Elisa.
Estonia’s Ministry of Justice also reported a disruption on December 31 affecting a second cable connecting the country with Finland.
The ship is owned by Fitburg Shipping Company Ltd and operated by Albros Shipping and Trading Ltd.
